Place: Reviews & Ratings

Reviews by mactrail:

Lovely location in the heart of a beautiful small town (spelled "La Conner," two words) across from the channel and boat docks. Good sized bar as you enter. Plenty of seating as well as an outdoor garden and deck area. Really nice furniture. Attractive place fill of colorful local art.

They have 6 or 7 taps going with nothing of any particular interest. The fall seasonal is Oktoberfest. I tried three brews, all of which were mediocre to below average. There is a big menu of Northwest type food including the inevitable wood-fired pizza, salads, shellfish, etc. The clam chowder was better than the usual creamy glop, and quite spicy. The salmon burger had an inedibly oversalted piece of fish, tho the salad with it was good. Prices are average. Barmaid was enthusiastic but not knowledgeable about the beers.

This place opened in 1995 and I came here several times between 2003-08, but this is my first visit since and I don't plan to go back. Maybe next year, out of curiosity to see if they have any interest in brewing better beers. I used to get several of the different beers in 12 oz bottles but now I find none in any stores in the four nearby towns this year. Just as well. (1,189 characters)

More User Reviews:

Paid a visit to the quaint, tourist town of LaConner, and while strolling the streets I found the town brewpub.

Located about a block from the Swinomish Channel, the buiilding looks better than the picture above. Once inside, there's lots of expensive looking wood. "Upscale-cabin" seems to be the decor theme. A brisk lunch business was being done, and judging from the conversations I overheard, the place is popular with tourists and locals alike. This is more of a place to get a locally made beer with a meal than a place to kill a few pints.

I sat at the bar, and found service prompt and friendly.

Beer prices were $4.25 per pint - fairly standard for micros. Menu prices were a little high, but that was what I expected in a tourist town. I ordered a cup of the chowder, which was very tasty, with a rich buttery broth. It came with a piece of Foccacia bread that was rather chalky.

A number of years ago, LaConner beers were available in bottles at Huckleberry's and the Viking. I tried some of them and liked them, but they disappeared years ago. I now know why. The two beers I tried were from average (pilsner) to below average (doppelbock). I may have erred in not ordering the IPA, as local people were coming in to get get growler fills to go of that beer only. Perhaps that's THE Laconner beer to have.

Worth stopping in if you are coming to the town, but the beer is not worth a trip on it's own, as the Skagit Valley and Bellingham area have better brewers. (1,483 characters)

A pretty busy place during Tulip season, La Conner brewing company is one of many places to get something to eat or drink along the main street. What sets them apart is, of course, their own beer.

It's a pretty small main dining area with wood paneling everywhere that gives it a rustic-but-upscale look to it. There is also some outdoor seating available just be sure to ask for it on a nice day. Otherwise, it can be quite cramped if it's busy.

You can get 6 packs and growlers to go. In fact, my server even hunted down their last 6-pack of the Tannenbaum for me. At $8 it was at least $2 cheaper than I've found in stores.

The service was very friendly and outgoing. Are server was attentive and the hostess made sure we didn't wait long.

Prices are a bit high. Not to bad for the wood fired pizzas, which are quite good and there is a wide selection of styles. But $8 for a set of 5-5oz samplers and $6 for a kids cheeseburger with no side is a bit much.

Finally, the beer. From what I've had it seemed to be a study in Yakima hops. Many of the brews had a similar spicey hop flavor and they seem to like putting it up front. Not that they are bad by any means but I would say pick one and stick with it. The Tannenbaum is my favorite so far but it's their winter seasonal. By the way, they also brew a decent root beer for the kids.

Definitely a place to check out if you're looking for a nice day trip. Have a couple beers and roam the town. (1,454 characters)

La Conner is a sleepy, maritime tourist town nestled between an Indian reservation and an agricultural valley consumed by tulips. I always think of it as the home of novelist Tom Robbins. Apparently Robbins is still there, living and writing just a few blocks from the La Conner Brewing Company. His latest novel, published in 2009, is called B Is for Beer.

The restaurant is a simple, one-room affair with pleasant wooden detailing, lit candles, and local artwork on the walls. Mirrors hang above the bar and the gas fireplace. A small rear patio is open seasonally. The restaurant features stylish lighting and views of First Street. The brewery is in separate, adjoining building and is not visible from the bar.

La Conner serves six regular and two seasonal beers with no cask or guest taps. Several prestigious brewing awards hang on the wall behind the bar though these are dated and I've known quality as strictly mid-range. Best options arrive in the form of the IPA and a winter warmer called Tannenbaum. As many as four La Conner beers are available in six-packs to go.

Food is largely upscale pub fare with an emphasis on wood fired pizza though they do serve at least one formal entrée that on my visit was duck breast. Service is commendable. (1,260 characters)

Nice little brewpub in a tourist town in the northern farm country. Lots of wood, a good bar area and a fireplace. Comfortable and fun. Lots of locals but also a ton of tourists.

They've had ups and downs since I've been coming here. (The dry-hopped, hop cone in every bottle, IPA was stellar but they don't do that anymore.) Right now they have a pretty solid line of beers. None of them are stand out as particularly excellent, but they're all good. This last visit, the IPA and the Pale had a house character, kind of like the same grain bill with different hoping. The Hefeweizen, a german style with good phynol and spicing was the best and the brown was a good malty session.

They have five regulars and a seasonal and the seasonal appears to be only quarterly. So basically you can come here any time of year and pretty much get the same tap list.

Food is pretty good. Wood fired pizzas (good, but not really memorable), panini sandwiches (kind of skimpy on the meat) and salads. All are pretty good, but like the beer, nothing is really so good that you just have to get here, with the possible exception of the clams with spicy coconut milk sauce.

Service has always been friendly, either at the bar or at tables. I get the feeling that some of the wait staff isn't really into beer but they seem to know the basics.

Overall, if you're in LaConnor as a tourist it's worth a lunch. If you're a local, probably the best beer in town. But it isn't a standout brewpub. (1,548 characters)

The place was loud and crowded, but it seemed like mostly locals, so that just makes it feel well-loved. It's not very big. It seemed like a nice place, though.

The service was better than average, but not particularly good. It took a long time to take our order, and then we were ignored again for a long time -- luckily, we didn't need much because we were only getting beer.

Selection? It the best selection of La Conner beers you're likely to find anywhere, so I'll give it a good grade for that.

An attractive, if generic looking room. I've always found the service to be friendly and you can usually find a local to chat with. LaConner is a total tourist trap of a town but still a fun little daytrip. The food here is solid if unspectacular with the wood fired pizzas being the hi-lite. As befits a tourist based economy the prices are on the high side. Now to the beer. The beer here has really fallen off a big cliff in the last 5-7 years. It started when the long-time brewer, Arlen Harris, left. Arlen brewed some of the best beers in the Northwest across all styles. In those days, LaConner Brewing was a destination unto itself. These days if I find myself in LaConner I go to the little pub down the street. I suggest bypassing LaConner and driving into Anacortes and visiting Anacortes Brewing/Rockfish Grill.

Update, 4/11/10: After hearing that the beer was getting better again, I made a quick return visit. The IPA was really good, although not perhaps what it was "back in the day", the Hefe and Dopplebock were decent, if not spectacular. The service has picked up a little (we were there on a busy Saturday, right in the middle of Tulip season, and had a very good bartender, Ashleigh) and the food is still good, if still tourist priced. I no longer say to avoid LaConner Brewing, just don't go with too high of expectations. (1,347 characters)

I ended a long, cold spring day of driving by pulling up a stool to the bar at La Conner Brewing Company. I was greeted by a friendly bartender who gave me the skinny about the pub and the brewery. She gave me a food and beer menu and recommended I start with the Porter. After a few pints of the best the brewery had to offer I enjoyed a bowl of chunky, creamy chowder and a tasty veterinarian panino sandwich. As the evening progressed I enjoyed watching the ebb and flow of customers stopping in for a beer and dinner. The menu was varied and featured Northwestern cuisine. The prices were a bit on the high side but that was to be expected in a tourist destination town. The only beers sold in the brewery are made on the premises. There was a small selection of wines, a brewery made hard cider, and non-alcoholic beverages.

The day I was there there were eight beers on tap (Wheat, Pilsner, Pale, Brown, ESB, IPA, Porter, and Vienna-Style Lager). The beer menu also offered, in 12 ounce bottles only, a "Belgian-Style Sour Ale". All of the tap beers were available to be sold in growlers for off premise consumption but the Sour Ale could only be consumed at the brewery. In addition to the Porter I had pints of the Vienna-Style Lager and the Pale Ale ("The Official 2008 Tulip Festival Ale"). With dinner I had a glass of Sour Ale. (1,340 characters)

First off, the place seems kind of sterile inside, like a chain restaurant or something.

Anyway the wife and I found a seat at the bar. After waiting some time we were served an ESB ( average ) , and a Wheat ( pretty good). After another rather long wait I asked the bartender/waitress if I could settle up. She yelled " eight dollars" over her shoulder as she was walking away. When she came back I paid with a $50 dollar bill. When she came and left my change I noticed she had left me change for a hundred.After several attempts to get her attention she finally came back over and I informed her she had given me $50 too much change. I swear she almost acted annoyed that I bothered her. Should have just kept it I guess, but thats not my style.

Didnt try the food.

Not a place I would bother returning to. Sterile atmosphere, unattentive service,and average beer, at least what we tried. (940 characters)

Stopped by on a beatiful summer day. Interior was lovely, with dark hued wood dominating the decor yet it was somehow not very welcoming. Or that may have been because the less than interested servers.

Beer selection was ok. I tried the IPA and thought it was passable. Tried the Barleywine and it was decent too. For food I tried the Clam chowder and liked it quite a bit.

I'd stop here again if I was nearby but wouldn't make a trip to Laconner just to go there. I really wish I had made it there while Arlen worked there. (532 characters)

We stopped in for dinner after an afternoon tiptoeing through the tulips. Being in the heart of tulip country on one of the three prime tulipwatchign seasons, it is not suprising that the place was crowded, but we did get a seat right away outside, on a picnic table on the supposedly heated porch. (the heater was broken so it was chilly).

Once we did track down the wait staff, I was able to order several tasters (they encourage free tasters, but they are very small.) The IPA is a classic here,b ut we went with a pitcher fo the brown because it tasted really fresh and nice.

The menu is mostly pizzas and panini's. My pizza was the salmon pizza with veggies on top. Quite tasty, but not value at 12$.

Not great service but a cool place worth returning to out of season. We did go for the logo pint glass for 4$. (825 characters)

I finally had a chance to visit a few breweries/brewpubs north of Mukilteo, and LaConner was first on my list. Pretty impressed.

Found the brewpub rather quickly after entering this quaint little inlet town. Lying at the Swinomish channel south, at Skagit Bay, the La Conner village is surrounded by woodlands of cedar and fir.

Entered the building to find an cozy layout (a bit smaller than I had presumed) of pine wood and earthy interior with restaurant seating to the front and left and a cozy bar area right. Fairly busy at this sunset hour, Saturday 11/12/05, though found a spot at the bar in short order.

The beers were of fresh and good, some better. I did find that the wheat beer that I started with to me was more of the NW variety than the Bavarian style that was indicated; while I did perceive some esters I did not sense any profound fusels/phenolic levels. No matter, as I was determined to start off with this style and move on to taste them all.

I did spend some time referencing through the food menu. A lot looked good here as well. Nachos were what I finally decided on trying out. Impressive nachos! First, I noticed that the tri-colored chips were sturdy enough to support toppings (not always an easy find). Most 'radical' was their use of real, quality cheeses (imagine that: Jack/Cheddar, other?  too many places just end up using the cheap bulk stuff). Topped with a few tomatoes, black beans and jalapeños and served with sides of sour cream and house-made, unique salsa (is that a hint of smoked salmon that I sense? double-check a gulp of beer...nope, not the beer). Peppers couldve been a bit hotter (not fresh or used pickled?); just my taste and no biggie.

Overall a good experience on my past two visits (pre- & just post-Arlen). (1,922 characters)

In classic Northwest informality, here is a place to hang and have a great conversation. It is located in "downtown" LaConner, which is not very well known for tourism, but that makes the area far more charming.

The food is phenomenal. Most of the beer is excellent--They'll pour you samples of each kind to try before you order. I would recommend Oktoberfest, IPA and the Porter. The pizza is on fresh dough with fresh ingredients. My friends had chowder, a panini and a salad--they were also pleased.

My wife and I stumbled upon this place two years ago and had a very similar experience. I now try to make it a side trip whenever I travel to the Seattle area. (669 characters)

LaConner is a great little town in every season EXCEPT during the Skagit Valley Tulip festival. Unfortunately that's when most people visit this sleepy little town at the mouth of an inlet on the Puget Sound. During the festival, this is probably the most popular place in town and it can be packed with people.

My suggestion is to try it at any other time.

Good Northwest atmosphere, good food, and good beer. This isn't the best brewery in the area, but it's certainly worth a stop. The menu features brick oven pizzas, high-end sandwiches, pasta dishes, etc. I've never had anything here that I didn't enjoy. Every once in a while the beer is a miss, but generally you'll be happy.

If you stop by in the wintertime, their winter ale is usually a spicy, warming treat. (781 characters)

Atmosphere  LaConner, WA, is a small tourist city about an hour north of Seattle. The clientele reflect the mostly-local visitors. Its warm and cozy in here. The pub is rather small and theres a fireplace on one side and an open, wood-fired oven on the other.

Quality  I just loved the rustic theme of this pub. The wood is solid and beautiful, highlighting the rustic nature of the building. The one thing I didnt like is the single-occupancy restroom.

Service  This place was packed when skyhand and I visited on Presidents Day. We didnt expect good service, but we got fairly poor service. The lady behind the bar didnt know anything about beer and didnt seem to know anything about the pub. Maybe she was new.

Selection  There are only about eight taps here and they are of course all house beers.

Food  I am a pretty finicky pizza eater, but their pizza here was terrific. I had a pepperoni, which was very spicy and well done. The bread is obviously made in-house and the fairly complicated cheese mix worked well. I ordered one to go to take home to my wife it was so tasty. (1,117 characters)

This place was busy at lunch in April as it was in Tulip season. The atmosphere is more restaurant than pub with lots of ladies doing lunch. The service is friendly and efficient with good well presented food ranging from sandwichs to pizzas.

The beer is not consistent. The Wit was lacking in flavour and style but the IPA and Belgian Seasonal were excellent. They don't do a taster tray but will give samples if asked. Read the reviews on BA to ascertain what you may like to order ahead of time.

All in all a good place to grab a good beer and have a nice meal (570 characters)